1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image displaying system, image displaying device, image data outputting device, image displaying method, image displaying program, and image data outputting program.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The image displaying system of conventional type consists of an image displaying device and a plurality of terminals connected thereto through a network so that the former displays images in response to image data transmitted from the latter. (See Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2001-358919, for example.) In such a system, transmission of image data from the image data sources to the image displaying device is efficiently accomplished by giving an identifier to each image data source and allocating the storage areas in the image displaying device in correspondence with the identifier. Thus, the image data transmitted from each image data source is stored in each of the allocated areas. This arrangement permits one image data source to transmit image data to the image displaying device while the image displaying device is performing presentation by using the image data transmitted from another image data source. The consequence is efficient transmission of image data from a plurality of image data sources and smooth switching of image data for presentation. (See Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2001-358919, paragraph 48.)
The conventional image displaying system mentioned above has the disadvantage of being low in throughput on account of the network. In other words, the network is limited in the maximum transmission rate, and this poses a problem with transmission. That is, if a plurality of terminals happen to transmit image data simultaneously, one of them may fail in adequate transmission or have to repeat transmission on account of congestion.